So it was like a meeting of old friends when the normally taciturn frontman of Manic Street Preachers took to the stage at the Bristol Sounds series at the Lloyds Amphitheatre on Thursday night. And with the stunning backdrop of the Harbourside and the Matthew, the band received a huge amount of love which just grew and grew as they tore into their set.

They didn’t disappoint, and packed their show with classic hits and crowd pleasers, like they were taking people on a guided tour of their back catalogue. Soon into the show, Bradfield was reminiscing about a city he knows well, and clearly loves.

He began name-checking every venue in the city the Manics have played at, giving a shout out to all the old fans who had been there from the start. And Bristol ’s recent news hadn’t passed him by, either.

Manic Street Preachers at Bristol Sounds (Image: James beck)

“Shout out to the people who came to our early gigs in the ‘soon-to-be-renamed’ Colston Hall, where we played to about five people,” he said.

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Support acts were decent too. The Anchoress, a female singer and pianist, showed promise, and British Sea Power warmed the crowd up well for the main event. But everyone was here for Manic Street Preachers.

After that lovely Bristol connection, the crowd sparked into life with the first chords of You Stole The Sun From My Heart, and just to bring the cherry on the icing on the gert lush Bristol-Manics love cake, Bradfield reminded the crowd that local boy Nick Nasmyth was banging away on the keys.

Manic Street Preachers entertained Bristol (Image: James Beck)

“Introducing one of your own…” said the singer. The hits flowed and the love built. Kevin Carter was followed soon after by If You Tolerate This, a song about fighting fascism which still resonates today.

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There was a brief mellow period with Ocean Spray was played acoustically, before the monster anthems You Love Us – dedicated to Massive Attack – and Tsunami brought us all into the home straight.

Then the finale. Regretfully, with the strict harbourside curfew of 10.40pm, A Design For Life was the last number.

Manic Street Preachers at Bristol Sound British Sea Power (Image: James Beck)

“This is our last one,” said Bradfield, scuppering hopes of a naughty extension. “I know you’ve got a spectacular council, but we’ve still got a curfew,” before launching into possibly the band’s best-known hit.

It was glorious, the sound – which is sometimes patchy given the outdoor acoustics of the unique location – was perfect, and thousands of Manic Street Preachers fans ended the evening with the warm glow of reciprocated love.